title: Triple-negative breast cancers: associations between imaging and pathological findings for triple-negative tumors compared with hormone receptor-positive/human epidermal growth factor receptor-2-negative breast cancers.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Triple-negative (TN) breast cancers have high malignancy potential and are often characterized by early systemic relapse. Early detection is vital, but there are few comprehensive imaging reports. Here we describe mammography, ultrasound, and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) findings of TN breast cancers, investigate the specific features of this subtype, and compare the characteristics of TN breast cancers with those of hormone receptor (HR)-positive/human epidermal growth factor receptor (HER)-2-negative breast cancers.
  
  
  METHODS
  From July 2009 to June 2011, mammography and ultrasound findings of 210 patients with pathologically confirmed TN (n = 105) and HR-positive/HER-2-negative breast cancers (n = 105) were retrospectively reviewed from our institutional database. Ultrasound vascularity was notified in 88 cases and elasticity scores were notified in 49 cases overall. Thirty-five patients underwent MRI (22 TN and 13 HR-positive/HER-2-negative). Mammograms, ultrasound, and MRI were reviewed according to the Breast Imaging-Reporting and Data System (BI-RADS) lexicon and classification.
  
  
  RESULTS
  TN breast cancers were more likely to show round, oval, or lobulated masses with indistinct margins on mammography than HR-positive/HER-2-negative breast cancers. On ultrasound, TN tumors were more likely than HR-positive/HER-2-negative breast cancers to show circumscribed or microlobulated margins and no posterior acoustic features or posterior enhancement-positive. On MRI, TN cancers exhibited suspicious aspects more often than HR-positive/HER-2-negative cancers, often with rim enhancement-positiveHER-2 (84.6% of masses were classified BI-RADS 5).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  This study is the first to describe findings on mammography, ultrasound, and MRI for TN breast cancers with a matched HR-positive/HER-2-negative control group. Several distinctive morphological features of these aggressive tumors are identified that can be used for earlier diagnosis and treatment, and ultimately to improve outcomes.
authors.affiliation: Department of Radiology, Unit, Institut Bergonié, Bordeaux, France. M.Boisserie-Lacroix@bordeaux.unicancer.fr
authors.forename: Martine
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Boisserie-Lacroix
authors.forename: Gaëtan
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Macgrogan
authors.forename: Marc
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Debled
authors.forename: Stéphane
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Ferron
authors.forename: Maryam
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Asad-Syed
authors.forename: Pippa
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: McKelvie-Sebileau
authors.forename: Simone
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Mathoulin-Pélissier
authors.forename: Véronique
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Brouste
authors.forename: Gabrielle
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Hurtevent-Labrot
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008279:Magnetic Resonance Imaging / Q000379:methods*; D008327:Mammography / Q000379:methods*; D008875:Middle Aged; D009364:Neoplasm Recurrence, Local / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging; D011247:Pregnancy; D018719:Erb-b2 Receptor Tyrosine Kinases / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism; D064726:Triple Negative Breast Neoplasms / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging* / Q000473:pathology; D016217:Ultrasonography, Mammary / Q000379:methods*
chemical_list: D018719:Erb-b2 Receptor Tyrosine Kinases; C508053:ERBB2 protein, human
keywords: Breast neoplasms; Diagnosis; Magnetic resonance imaging; Mammary; Mammography; Triple-negative breast cancer; Ultrasonography; Ultrasound